WATERLESS TOILETS

Waterless toilets might not sound too appealing, but they could be a hugely important health breakthrough across the globe. More than 2.4 billion people live without access to clean running water, and approximately 1.5 million children die each year from food and water that has been tainted with faecal matter.

In 2012 the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sought to change all that, awarding funding to several teams developing waterless toilets. Now one of those, the Nano Membrane toilet from Cranfield University in the UK, is making strides.

Using nanotechnology, their device directly converts human waste into water and ash. The water is removed from urine by passing it through a membrane chamber and heating it, while faeces is burned to turn it into useful ash. The team are hoping to begin field testing their idea, which could be a game-changer for many.